Henry sciiwannecke



(No Model.) p

H. SGHWANNEOKE.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 464.900. Patented Dec. 8, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY SCHWVANNECKE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 464,900, dated December 8, 1891.

Application filed July 20, 1891. Serial No. 400,096. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY SCHWANNEOKE, of New York city,in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in fire-escapes, and has for its object to provide a device of simple, durable, and economic construction, which may be placed at the side of the building without detracting from its appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provlde an escape consisting, essentially, of two chairs or balconies so connected that when one descends the other will ascend; and another object of the invention is to provide the balconies with suitable tracks and to construct cushions whereby the occupants of the balconies or chairs will sustain no shock when the said balconies reach the ground.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Referenceis to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a building, illustrating the application there to of the escape. Fig. 2 is a Vertical section taken practically on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

At any desired point upon the building A two tubular standards 10 are erected, the standards being placed in a vertical position, and said standards extend practically from the ground or bottom of the building to a point near the eaves or roof thereof. Immediately over the upper ends of the tubular standards a transverse or horizontal tubular slideway 11 is located. The tubular slideway 11 maybe connected at its ends with the vertical tubular standards, or may be spaced some distance therefrom, and the slideway 11 may be curved, or, as illustrated, its central portion may be straight and its ends curved downward to meet the standards.

Preferably upon the inner face of each standard at. or near the top a keeper 12 is constructed, and each standard at its lower end is provided with a hollow base 13, while iri'the base of the standards springs 14 are located,

the springs being preferably coil or spiral springs, as indicated in Fig. 2.

In connection with the standards two chairs or balconies 15 are employed, of any suitable or approved construction, one balcony or chair being adapted to slide in each standard. To that end the standards are provided in their front faces with vertical grooves 16, extending from the base to the top, and in each standard a bar 17 is located, said bars being adapted to slide in the standards and correspond to them in cross-section. To these bars 17 the balconies are secured in any suitable or approved manner, the attaching mediums extending outward through the slots 16 of the standards. The bars 17, carrying the chairs or balconies, are preferably reduced at their lower ends, as shown at a, and their reduced ends are encircled by springs 18, having bearings upon shoulders formed by the reduction of the rods, which springs have secured to their lower ends disks 19, the said disks be ing of a diameter enabling them to enter. the tubular base 13 of the standards, and the reduced portions of the rods 17, carrying the chairs or balconies, are adapted to enter and pass downward within the space inclosed by the springs 14.

Each chair or balcony is provided with a' brake B, pivoted thereto. The brake comprises an upper section 20, constituting a handle, and which extends upward beyond the floor of the chair or balcony, and a lower section 21, extending below the plane of the floor of the balcony, carrying at its lower end a shoe 22, and the shoes of the brakes are normally kept in engagement with the standards through the medium of a spring of any approved construction.

In operation one balcony or chair is normally located near the lower end of one standard and the other balcony near the upper end of the opposite standard, at which point the latter balcony is locked by the shoe of the brake entering the keeper 12 of the standard, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the chairs or balconies being connected by a cable 23, which cable passes up through one of the standards and through the upper slideway, the ends of the cable being attached to the upper ends of the bars 17. In the event that persons desire to escape from the upper portion of the building, they enter the upper chair or balcony and withdraw the brake from connection with the keeper 12, whereupon the balcony or chair Will descend rapidly bygravity and the lower end of the bar to which the balconyis attached will enter the base of the standard in which it slides, causing the disk 19 to engage with the top of the springs 14 in the base. pressed, preventing the rebound, and the spring 14E will serve as a cushion, preventing the occupants of the balcony from being injured.

It is apparent that the device is exceedingly simple, economic, and durable, and it is also evident that as soon as one balcony reaches the ground the other balcony connected therewith Will be drawn upward and locked in a position to receive persons desiring to descend. The cable in passing from the slideway is carried over suitable pulleys 24, as shown in Fig. l. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Ina fire-escape, the combination, with two vertical tubular standards and a tubular The spring 18 will then be com-.

slideway located above said standards, of a bar held to slide in each standard, chairs or balconies secured to said bars, one of which chairs or balconies is normally located at the upper end of one standard and the other at the lower end of the opposite standard, springpressed brakes attached to the chairs or balconies, a cable connecting the rods to which the chairs or balconies are attached and passing through the slideway, and keepers attached to the upper portion of the standards, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with tubular standards provided with grooves in their front faces, a tubular base located at the lower end. of each standard, a tubular slideway located above the standards, and a spring located within each base, of a bar held to slide in each standard, a cable connecting the bars and passing through the slideway, a

chair or balcony attached to each bar,0ne of which chairs is normally located at the top of one standard and the other near the bottom of the other standard, a spring coiled around an extension of each of the sliding bars and adapted to enterthe base of the standards, and disks attached to the springs and adapted to engage with the springs in the base of the standards, as and for the purpose set forth.

HENRY SCHWANNECKE. Witnesses:

AUGUST HANSEHNAME, RoBT. H. BERGMAN. 

